Restaurant in Montreal offers free food to the hungry

As a gesture of goodwill, Marché Ferdous gives free meals to those who can’t afford to pay for it.

According to Huffington Post, Marché Ferdous, a small Mediterranean restaurant in Montreal put up a sign on their window saying: “People with no money welcome to eat free.” This gesture is entirely based on good faith.

“We do not ask any questions, we do not judge people,” co-owner Yahya Hashemi told Global News. “They want to eat, [we] give them the food. That’s it, that’s all.”

Originally from Iran, Hashemi migrated to Canada three decades ago. He says it is part of his faith to help those in need. In the fall of 2015, when Hashemi noticed many homeless people in the neighbourhood, he decided to give them a free warm food instead of spare change.

The kindness of the restaurant went unnoticed for four months until Montreal resident Sean Jalbert saw the sign and walked in, curious to see if it was actually true. The staff asked him to pick anything he liked when he pretended not to have money.

Sean wrote about their generosity in a Facebook post: “Made me smile and warm inside I paid for my food and told them they were awesome for doing this. They said it wasn’t for the holiday season, but all the time they want to encourage helping each other through tough times. Absolutely incredible.”